Will Self stay or will he go?

The college basketball season came to a thrilling in last night and Bill Self commented on the reports out there that Oklahoma State is about to offer millions upon millions to lure Bill Self away from Kansas to coach his alma mater.

ESPN reported that Bill Self prefers to stay at Kansas and hopes that it doesn't get to the point that he will have to listen to what Mike Holder and Oklahoma State has to say.

"That's my alma mater," Self said as he left the interview room after Kansas' 75-68 overtime victory over Memphis on Monday night. "I know people down there. But they haven't contacted me.

"I've said this last week," said Self, a 1985 graduate. "I would recommend they go in a different direction. I still feel that. I'm not going to say that couldn't potentially happen, because I guess it potentially can."

Self said he hopes to meet soon with Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins.

"I want to visit with my athletic director," said Self, who is 142-32 in five seasons at Lawrence. "To be real honest with you, I love Kansas. I love my job here, and hopefully it will be a situation where I can spend a long time here. I'm certainly not looking to leave, but Lew and I got to visit. I'm sure that'll happen in the next couple days."

I said it before and I'll say it again. There are four jobs in college basketball that you just don't walk away from or turn down: Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, and UNC. Those are, without the shadow of a doubt, the four most storied programs in all of college basketball. Indiana is up there. Duke is up there. Yes, even Louisville would be in my top ten, thanks to the likes of Denny Crum and Rick Pitino. Say what you will about Louisville, but they have great basketball coaches.

What I am trying to say is that Bill Self or Billy Gillispie would be crazy to leave their current jobs for Oklahoma State...it would be a demotion. If this were about presidential candidates, OSU would be a third tier candidate compared to the best of the best. You don't just do that. This isn't like Tubby Smith when he left Kentucky for Minnesota last year because it's a different animal. Tubby wanted to leave the pressure from the fan base.

Gene Wojciechowski chimes in.

Don't do it, Bill Self.

Don't take billionaire T. Boone Pickens' money, even if it means you could walk from Lawrence, Kan., to Stillwater, Okla., on a road paved with his cash.

Don't become Dollar Bill, the guy who gets money whipped into leaving hoops heaven for what has become a hoops graveyard.

Don't leave Kansas for Oklahoma State. Not now. Not ever. And especially not after you just won one of the greatest Final Four championship games of all time.

This, by far, has to be one of the best quotes of the evening:

"All I want to say is I thought we were the national champions," said Memphis coach John Calipari, who was in full zombie mode after the stunning loss. "And that's the great thing about college basketball and sports. Within 30 seconds they make a play and it's OT, and it's on again."